Album Reviews

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: The Magic of Youth

Bob Lange January 6, 2012 No Comments

Don’t Know How to Party and Question the Answers were probably the high point of ska’s third wave. They mixed the fun and soul (something oddly missing with most third wave bands) with a hardcore edge and a dose of serious honesty. In a decade of ponderous self-consciousness the Bosstones were refreshing. However, if you want a rehash of “The Impression That I Get,” pick up a copy of one of the older albums. The Bosstones have grown.

Joe Henry: Reverie

Ric Hickey January 4, 2012 No Comments

Joe Henry is the perfect storm of singer/songwriter/producer. Right out of the box, the singular sound of his production is always striking. Not unlike Lanois’ Wall Of Murk, Henry’s work invariably consists of stark layers of gentle noise, undulating blocks of sound, instruments alternately lurching into and jutting out of the arrangements, and elusive lyrical abstractions representing the darkest reaches of the emotional spectrum. These multiple layers of organic sound are sparse and simple, quietly going about their business holding up Henry’s soulful songs of Reverie.

Nils Lofgren: Old School

Shawn Donohue January 2, 2012 No Comments

Grumpy-Old-Pissed-Off-Man might have been a more apt title for Nils Lofgren’s newest solo album, Old School. He bluntly comes out and says as much via the title tracks first verse:

Vanish Valley: Get Good

Jason Macneil December 29, 2011 No Comments

Vanish Valley made songs here that won’t vanish quickly, capped off by “Lion’s Den” that brings Sparklehorse to mind. They don’t have to get good because they are good.

BoDeans: Indigo Dreams

Gabriel Scheer December 26, 2011 No Comments

Indigo Dreams is like many of the other BoDeans albums, and relies on the powerful combination of Llanas and Neumanns’ voices to buttress solid instrumental backing and a good folksy-rock sound. With Llanas now gone and replaced with Jake Owen, it remains to be seen whether the BoDeans will be able to carry forward with such power.

Frankie Miller:

Doug Collette December 19, 2011 No Comments

It’s not quite accurate to call Frankie Miller the unsung hero of British rock n’ soul because he had more than just a taste of mainstream recognition, while the crafts-manlike songwriter in him garnered comparable commercial success via movies and television. Yet the emotional undercurrent in the music included in …That’s Who! makes the case he was worthy of more widespread acknowledgement than the compilation’s title wryly references.

Keller Williams: Bass

Bryan Rodgers December 14, 2011 No Comments

But for Bass to be anything other than what it is would be discounting what he’s built over the last two decades. It’s not going to replace Williams’ Stage or Breathe in the jamband canon, but Bass is as quintessentially Keller as the rest of his catalog.

Lotus: Lotus

Bryan Rodgers December 13, 2011 No Comments

Lotus’ self-titled fourth studio album features the band painting with bigger, broader brushes to create their musical vision. There’s a signature sound in place, the result of a decade’s worth of evolution in both band and equipment, but many of the intricacies that defined the band’s sound have been shaped into grander melodic ideas.

Ray Charles: Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles

Gerry Hardy December 13, 2011 No Comments

Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles covers this second period of Ray Charles’ career 1959 to 1972 on ABC-Paramount, offering A and B sides of all the singles released by ABC. The hits are here starting with his first #1 for ABC, “Georgia On My Mind” all the way to “America The Beautiful” in 1972.